True Love
by Adrianna Nadine
Summary: "If I could do it all over, maybe I'd do it different...Maybe I wouldn't be here in this position." If she had taken the chance and been strong enough to embrace her feelings earlier, maybe he wouldn't have had time to fall for someone else. Or maybe, it just wasn't meant to be all along. After all, why WOULD the Captain of the Guard want a former criminal? [Mirror World AU]


_**True Love **_

* * *

**Note: Yes, the title is completely ironic. Taken from the song of the same name from the series _Liv and Maddie_, the piece is a part of my Mirror World timeline and a reflection of recent events within the canon timeline. I suppose you could take it as my way of jumping ship officially. The canon has decided the route it wants to take – one that honestly makes more sense than mine ever did – and the people have spoken and made their preferences known. So, count it as an official, permanent shift in the Mirror World timeline.**

* * *

_Feelin' it all around me _

_Wonderin' how I blew it _

_And I wanna know the secret _

_Of how they… do it _

_No such thing as perfection _

_I'm still learning that lesson _

_To forgive is key to forgetting me _

_And I'm staring at my reflection _

_And I coulda had it all _

_Coulda had it all…_

* * *

Naomi was right. The Norberg lights _were _beautiful. Shimmering colours took over the previously bleak sky, streaks of green, blue and purple dancing alongside with the stars.

So, why couldn't she enjoy them?

That was a dumb question. Carla knew _exactly _why she couldn't. Tradition said that they were meant to be watched with "someone special" but the _one _person she would have wanted to share them with had been literally dragged away as soon as they arrived. Not that he knew she felt that way. Or rather, she hoped he didn't. Heck, it had taken weeks for her to even admit to_ herself_ that she had those feelings and even longer to gather the strength to tell Elena, who was, as far as she knew, the only other person who knew about her crush. Luckily, she'd been supportive, offering consolation and advice that she was still unsure about taking. Some days, she wanted so much to just tell him and get it over with. Others, she just cursed her emotions _and_ him for making her feel the way she did. She had always been confident around boys before, but something about _him _twisted all of that around and she hated it.

Most of the time.

Carla pulled her knees up to her chest, took a moment to glance over at both Naomi and her parents before turning back to the water and staring at the colours shifting over it. She thought briefly about leaving. After all, there wasn't much here for her. While she appreciated Elena inviting her along and giving her a new outfit and had enjoyed seeing a kingdom she'd never been to before, she felt out of place now. Everyone else on the dock was either coupled up or with their families. She and Naomi were the only ones flying solo. Though, at least Naomi had her family. She was the only one who was truly alone. All of her friends were still back home enjoying their break, and while she'd written him, she hadn't seen her father in weeks. And goodness knows where Elena had wandered off to.

She sighed as she made her decision and shifted with the intent to stand, only to stop when the sound of approaching footsteps crossed her ears. She paused, turned to the source and silently gasped at the familiar face.

"Gabe," She murmured, felt her heartrate picking up as he approached and then, immediately, silently scolded herself for it, tried to remind herself that it was "just Gabe." However, she couldn't help the way her face warmed at the thought that he had come back. For her. At least, she hoped that's why he was there. She hadn't seen him much during this visit due to being dragged into various tasks by Elena, but now that they did have a free moment, was he was choosing to seek _her _out? She held in a giggle at the thought of sitting close to him underneath the colourful sky, of maybe finally taking her chances as she scooted in closer and… Her thoughts trailed off when he simply gave her a smile as he carefully stepped past her…

… And over to _Naomi_.

Her heart sank. She toyed with her bracelet, tried to tell herself that it was fine. That it just wasn't meant to be. Not tonight. She would get her chance another day. Maybe when she'd had more time to plan. And, after all, Naomi was his friend too. He was allowed to want to spend time with her. But then, she stopped, bit her lip when saw the way they looked at each other.

Carla wasn't stupid. She'd seen it all before, in both the various novels she'd read over the years and the movies she saw over in the Mirror World. None of it was simple, friendly gestures. There were feelings there in the shy, yet prominent affection in both their gazes and the warm, knowing smiles they exchanged as Naomi delicately tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

Of course, he didn't like her. Not the way she liked him. Why would he? It's not like she was anything special. Not only had he known Naomi longer, but she was a fairly respected member of the Avaloran Court and a Grand Councilwoman. And what was she? A malvaga apprentice who barely had a grasp on her dark magic mixed with the remnants of a former thief that many people still looked at suspiciously whenever she visited. Sure, she was a decent student, a good party planner and a Princess of Harmony, but what did that matter to Gabe? He never saw those things. How could he when she didn't even live there full time? Naomi did. And she was always working on projects and helping to better the kingdom while Carla was off flitting around in the Mirror World, going to slumber parties and worrying about her next Chemistry exam.

Still, despite knowing all of that… It still hurt. It felt like her heart had shattered into a million pieces. She had never felt so strongly about any man before and now, the first time she dared to let those feelings in, he picked someone else. She always knew it was a possibility. As Captain of the Guard, he could have any woman he wanted. She was sure there was a line of girls who would give anything to get just a date with him, and not just because of the position or his good looks. Gabe was a genuinely good person. Beyond the tough demeanour he often put on, he was so gentle, and careful of other people around him. She knew he had a big soft spot for his friends and family. One that she hoped would include her someday as she held to her secret dreams of them being together - of going on dates and dancing together at festivals, of having her first kiss – and many more - underneath the stars and taking long walks through the garden, of snuggling on the sofa on rainy days and baking together in the kitchen… But, now she knew.

She wasn't actually a princess.

And this wasn't her fairytale.

It wasn't even a novel.

It was reality.

And in reality, she was never going to be the heroine.

With another sigh, and one last, sideways glance, she finally stood, wrapping her arms around herself as she stalked off and ignoring Naomi when she turned and called after her. It wasn't her business where she was going. Not that she even knew where that was. Besides, she knew that if she tried to answer, her voice would crack. Then they'd worry about her and she didn't want to have to explain why she was so upset. Not to them. Not now. Not _ever. _She supposed she could brush it off if asked but she didn't think her acting skills were enough this time. And she didn't want to risk it.

There wasn't any way for her to get back to the palace right away, so she kept walking until she came to a relatively quiet area of the dock. She glanced around, saw only a few people wandering about – none of which paid her any mind, and sneakily slipped between what she figured were empty shipping crates.

Once she was out of sight, Carla turned away from the lights and took a breath in a poor attempt to force back her own emotions, but it only ended up making it worse as slid down against one of the crates and onto the hardwood. Just as she had done earlier, she pulled her knees up and then set her head down on them as she gave in and finally, silently, started to cry.

How could she have misread the signals that badly? Especially after years and years of learning how to flirt her way into any man's heart and toy with their emotions while closing off her own. Looking back, she now knew that she'd let her feelings cloud her judgement form the beginning. Of course that dance at the Navidad Festival hadn't meant anything! Not once he realised that it was just _her _he was talking to. She swore she had felt something that night. That they had a chance to be something more, but… She was wrong. She'd thought about that moment a lot. How, in it, she had let herself start to fall for him and how she had only fallen harder and harder since then.

How could she have been so _stupid_? Every heart-pounding moment, every small glance in her direction…It was _nothing_. Nothing but a foolish girl letting a crush evolve too far. She wanted to kick herself for letting herself fall into such a position. She cried harder as the memories came back in droves.

That time he told her that she was worth more than a five after Jeremy and his jerktourage had gone around rating all the girls in school… Was it a lie? Or did he just feel sorry for her? Did he only agree to take her to that dance out of pity? She couldn't believe it. _Her_ \- Carla Delgado – the girl who used to be feared and revered by many, who had worked so hard to change that image and show that she could be so much more – reduced to a _pity date_. She didn't want to be _anyone's_ pity date. She wanted… Well, she _thought _she wanted romance. The kind that she always read about. But, if the opposite of it was _this_, then it wasn't worth it.

Perhaps those boys had been right all along. No man would ever look twice at a girl like her. When compared to someone like Naomi, who had not only a range of skills, but an actual figure and a _likable _personality, she had nothing. She always knew she was small, but now knew it was more than an inconvenience that made shopping difficult, it was a detriment. No one wanted to risk asking out the girl who looked like a freshman. She had no figure to speak of, something she had always tried to hide with wide sashes and fitted dresses. Then there eas the fact that her eyes were such a strange colour, the dull, disturbing violet so unlike the pretty, bright blue that Naomi's were. No wonder Gabe wanted her instead. On top of all that, she was far more athletic and adventurous than Carla had ever been. Sure, she was an excellent dancer, but would also rather be practicing with her makeup palettes or taking a long bath rather than join in on an olaball court. She was firm and feisty, but agreeable and funny. Carla was all attitude and could never tell a proper joke. They were opposites in almost every way. It made sense that Gabe would pick her instead.

She just wished it didn't make so much sense. At least then she'd be able to be angry. That was a feeling she knew all too well. Instead, she was just… _lonely_. She had always had a soft spot in her heart for romance. Always dreamed of being able to live out a real-life love story. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew it was unlikely. Until she turned it all around, she had lived under the impression that she would get married eventually. But not to someone she truly, deeply loved. That kind of thing didn't exist in the criminal world she came from. Her parents had been an exception. A beautiful, glittering exception. One that she now knew she would never have. In fact, the only thing she really, truly knew…

…Was that there was a reason that they call it a _crush_.

* * *

_True Love_

_I knew I had it _

_True Love _

_Was so hard to find _

_True Love _

_If I could get it back _

_I'd never let it go this time _


End file.
